COLD HARD CASH

04.16.14

Where the Hell Is My Frozen Toy?!

It’s basically like Jingle All the Way, but with the power of the Internet capturing the chaos.

“Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours,” says Olaf, the lovable snowman, in Frozen. Love probably isn’t, however, spending thousands of dollars so your kid won’t cry over not having an Elsa dress.

The Disney film’s unprecedented success has left retailers reeling from how fast merchandise is selling out. It’s basically like Jingle All the Way, but with the power of the Internet capturing the chaos.

On eBay, dolls of Elsa and her sister Anna are on sale for upwards of $10,000. One man reportedly spent hundreds on Frozen merchandise on Amazon.com for his daughter in fear of disappointing her, which included almost $500 on two children’s’ dresses. “I promised her,” he said.

The DIY approach has been a safe alternate route, but parents are still challenged with authenticity. Craft sites like Etsy have been recreating the magical dress, but it isn’t easy—especially with that damn cape. The Disney Store has set a new rule in wake of the craziness: a two Frozen item per customer limit has been enforced. “People have gotten into physical fights in the morning,” a Disney Store employee told the New York Post. “The kids cry, but the parents are the problem. They try to guilt us, say their daughters are sick. They have no shame. But I can’t make it magically appear!”

Unfortunately, Disney says there won’t be a fully stocked supply of Elsa dresses until July or August.

Enter the angry Facebook posts: “WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS THE HOLD UP, DISNEY? ARE YOU STAFFED ENTIRELY BY SOULLESS. DREAM-CRUSHING MONSTERS??[...]UGH. I AM FURIOUS. HENCE ALL THESE CAPITAL LETTERS. [...] UNACCEPTABLE, DISNEY. YOU’RE LITERALLY RUINING LIVES WITH YOUR EVIL WAYS. FOR SHAME.”

Some moms have set up Facebook groups like Unfrozen Trading Friends to give each other tips about fulfilling their children’s Frozen fantasies. Frozenmerch.tumblr.com serves as a radar for all things Frozen, to make getting the toy of your dreams easier.

So what if you can’t get your kid the Elsa doll for their birthday? And what if a stuffed Olaf is out of the question? There’s no reason to have a meltdown over spoiling your child. Let it go.